About the Choir
The West Sussex Philharmonic Choir was formed in Horsham in 1978 the brainchild of Laurie Carcas and John Dew, who shared the belief that there would be enthusiastic local response to a choral society capable of performing major choral works to the accompaniment of a full orchestra. The inaugural concert was a resounding success and laid the foundation to the last 31 years as Horsham's chief choral society.
We number about 90 local singers and perform three concerts annually; our venues are St. Mary's Parish Church and St John the Evangelist Church. The choir has also given Concerts in The Symphony Hall, Birmingham; The Fairfield Halls, Croydon; and The Hawth, Crawley, as well as The Capitol and the Drill Hall in Horsham.
The range of music presented is wide and in a number of languages. We have performed major choral works such as Brahm's German Requiem, Bach's Mass in B Minor, Elgar's Dream of Gerontius, Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony and other in addition to many smaller works. The music of George Gershwin and his contemporaries formed the basis of one memorable concert.
Visits to the Continent have recently featured in our activities; performances in Bruges, Rouen, Florence, Rome and Venice. Barcelona was the venue in May 2009 to be followed by Bruges in 2010. We also participate in the Sussex Festival Choir whose inaugural concert was at Arundel Cathedral in July 2003. Our next performance at this venue on 25th July, 2010, will be Walton's Belshazzar's Feast and Bernstein's Chichester Psalms.
Last Modified: September 2009